Annotation: This reference manual provides information about operating a dental public health program in Virginia. Topics include patient care, community program operations, dental sealant program operations, professional development, and resources. Contents include agreements, guidelines, plans, procedures, protocols, standards, surveys, trainings, and videos. Some resources are available in English and Spanish.

Annotation: This report outlines key initiatives aimed at preventing oral disease and reducing the proportion of children and adults with untreated oral disease. Contents include an overview of each initiative and related goals. Topics include preventing oral disease, providing oral health education and care, and strengthening and expanding the public/private oral health safety net.

Annotation: This document describes competencies for dental public health and the performance indicators by which they can be measured. Contents include background on the development of the competencies, definitions,and what a specialist in dental public health will do. Topics include planning oral health programs for populations; selecting interventions and strategies for the prevention and control of oral diseases and promotion of oral health; developing resources and implementing and managing oral health programs for populations; incorporating ethical standards in oral health programs and activities; evaluating and monitoring dental care delivery systems; designing and understanding the use of surveillance systems to monitor oral health; communicating and collaborating with groups and individuals on oral health issues; advocating for, implementing, and evaluating public health policy, legislation, and regulations to protect and promote the public's oral health; critiquing and synthesizing scientific literature; and designing and conducting population-based studies to answer oral and public health questions.

Annotation: This document is designed to help states improve collaboration between state oral health programs (SOHPs) and state dental associations (SDAs). Contents include a description of SOHPs and SDAs and examples of how they can work together to address oral health needs, particularly among groups with significant oral health disparities.

Annotation: This timeline presents significant events (milestones) in the United States that have had an impact on the oral health and, ultimately, the overall health and well-being of children, adolescents, women, and families. The milestones are organized by year (from 1840 to the present) and can be viewed using the index page or by selecting a specific year. Contents include background information for each event, its impact, and sources. A companion document highlighting key milestones is also available. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Annotation: This module describes dental public health (DPH) and how oral health stakeholders such as local and state dental associations, academia, non-oral-health professionals, foundations, and advocacy organizations enhance the infrastructure that supports it. Topics include the role that DPH plays within dentistry, the role that the private practice dentist plays within the DPH infrastructure and delivery-of-care systems, and core functions and accomplishments of public health and how they align with the American Dental Association's strategic plan.

Annotation: This document outlines an updated strategic plan for improving the nation’s oral health over the next 3 to 5 years. Five public health priorities and eight goals address core/essential functions and key subject areas. These areas include dental caries, periodontal diseases, oral and pharyngeal cancers, infection control, public oral health infrastructure, elimination of health disparities, health policy and translation/dissemination of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) products, and organizational capacity and function. The document also outlines the CDC’s vision, mission, roles, and core functions as well as priorities in public oral health.

Annotation: This tutorial, which consists of four modules, focuses on improving access to and awareness of reliable information resources, as well as integrating the best evidence from these resources into public oral health practice and educational activities. The first module defines public health dentistry and identifies resources that help professionals stay informed about developments in public health dentistry. Module 2 focuses on learning how to find evidence-based scientific literature and apply it to the practice of public health dentistry. The third module outlines statistics and data related to the field. Patient and consumer information resources are discussed in the final module.

Annotation: This fact sheet outlines health center oral health programs’ use of diagnostic codes and the benefits of and barriers to using them and discusses whether safety-net oral health programs would benefit from using the codes. Next steps in promoting evidence-based dentistry are also discussed.

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Oral Health Section. 2011. Strategic plan for July 2011 to June 2012. [Raliegh, NC]: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Oral Health Section, 14 pp.

Annotation: This document provides oral health information as part of the overall 2011–2012 strategic plan for improving the health of North Carolina citizens. Topics include eliminating disparities in oral health by using best practices to reduce oral diseases through prevention, education, and health promotion services; monitoring the public’s oral health; and promoting access to oral health care. Additional information is provided on community-based work force coverage, program goals and strategies, action steps and data and evaluation, and outcomes and measures of progress.

Annotation: This report summarizes a plan to improve the oral health of Connecticut residents and lists specific outcomes in four goal areas: (1) to increase the integration of oral health promotion into all aspects of public health, (2) to ensure that there is an adequate work force to meet the needs of Connecticut residents, (3) to build a strong and sustainable oral health infrastructure, and (4) to advance best practices for oral health. Members of the Connecticut Coalition for an Oral Health Plan are listed, along with sponsors and contact information.

Annotation: This report describes the activities of an Arizona program to expand the dental public health capacity in several local communities by providing personnel and training to implement strategic plans and oral health improvement plans. Report contents include a description of the purpose of the project, a narrative outlining three objectives, and a review of the overall impact of the project. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Annotation: This paper outlines a statewide plan to expand Maryland's dental public health infrastructure to provide access to oral health care for underserved populations in the state. It discusses establishing 11 dental clinics in local health departments, as well as improving the 13 existing clinics that do not meet minimum standards; properly staffing each facility by examining salary ranges and caps, as well as loan repayment benefits for new professionals; and revising state needs in the Office of Oral Health Dentist.

Annotation: This document provides guidance to public health agency leaders and policymakers in developing oral health programs and services and provides a context in which to consider the relationship of oral health activities to public health responsibilities and desired outcomes. Oral health specific topics are discussed as they relate to the Ten Essential Public Health Services developed by the Work Group of the Core Public Health Functions Steering Committee. Topics include monitoring health status of the community; diagnosing and investigating health problems and hazards; developing policies and plans; enforcing laws and regulations; linking people to needed health services; assuring a competent health workforce; assessing the effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of health services; and continuing research. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Annotation: This report summarizes the meeting held on February 26–27, 2004, in Washington, DC, to increase awareness and knowledge of dental public health workforce issues and to develop a draft national action plan to increase capacity to recruit and retain a diverse and competent dental public health workforce. Report contents include an executive summary; a list of presenters, facilitators, and partner organization staff; a participant list; a glossary; an outline of the workshop's goals, objectives, and anticipated outcomes; the program agenda; a background paper; and summaries of responses to the organizational self-assessment completed by invited organizations. Additional workshop materials are available online.

Annotation: The study described in this report assesses the adequacy of the dental public health infrastructure in the United States. The report covers a number of topics, including the dental workforce, administrative presence within health departments, financial resources to implement programs, and legal authority. The report provides baseline data for new initiatives to address these topics, with an emphasis on state-level infrastructure. Report sections include government, education, workforce, regulatory issues, and discussion. Recommendations and conclusions are included.

Annotation: This plan describes the burden of oral disease in South Carolina, the collaborative process used to develop a comprehensive action plan, a vision statement with an action plan, and methods to evaluate plan outcomes. The plan describes five priorities: (1) policy and advocacy, (2) prevention and education, (3) public oral health infrastructure, (4) oral health workforce development, and (5) access to oral health. The description of each priority includes strategies and action steps. Four appendices include findings and action steps from Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General, a South Carolina oral health needs assessment, a list of advisory council members, and a list of coalition members.

Maternal and Child Health Library

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U02MC31613, MCH Advanced Education Policy, $3.5 M. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.